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Tag Archives: #DenaRaptis

My journey is one of gratitude and giving back, so if I can help you or a loved one, through motivation, inspiration, a new exercise, recipe, or to help connect you to a healthier lifestyle, than I feel fulfilled in my mission to help YOU!

We are our greatest asset, and we need to take loving care of ourselves. If we don’t care for ourselves, we are not in a position to be able to care for others. And believe this. We all need support sometimes. And no, it isn’t always easy. I have been managing a diagnoses of Multiple Sclerosis for many years. MS has many different faces. Some folks look like nothing is wrong with them, and have very little tell-tale signs that a disability is present; others are living with greater disability, and perhaps are in wheel chairs. Unfortunately there are others who are not so lucky, and suffer far greater disability, even to the point of death. It can be an insidious disease. Thankfully, I fall into the first category, and have a very promising prognosis, but it is important to note:
I have great faith, I have chosen to never give up, I keep exercising (even on days when I want to crawl under a rock) I eat right, get my rest, and claim good health, every step of the way. No, it isn’t always easy, but I will tell you this: it wasn’t until I laid my ego aside, and detached myself from the idea that I was less of a person, less of an athlete, or fitness professional, because I had to do things differently than my former, hyper driven competitive self, that I began to understand very intimately: we are far more than our physical shells. We are not our bodies. It is because of this journey that I became a lover of holistic health, and better nutrition. I discovered a deep love of yoga, aqua training, cycling, more body weight training, like TRX suspension training, and began to appreciate more, the simple things in life. I began to practice gratitude *every* day, and surround myself with folks who are like-minded, who are also on the path of enlightenment, and exploring a better way. I also embraced my musician and started playing piano, and writing music again, and became a Master Instructor Trainer for Drums Alive, which are all near and dear to my heart. (Local peeps join me every Friday at 10:15am at the JCC in West Bloomfield. 🙂

Music and Art are incredible healing gifts, and best of all is this: Today, I fully embrace the idea that while I can’t do some of the things I once did, I thank God that I can still do an infinite number of things. It isn’t bad, it’s just different, and different is great! While I continue to explore and embrace my new normal, I remember this: our attitudes are everything.

Having a great, positive attitude is both infectious and contagious, and to deep six the negative energy is paramount to our success. There simply is no room for us to spread our wings and grow when we stay in the negative.

So with that said, I choose to embrace that which is, to live in the present moment, and to fly! I reveal this personal info never to have people feel sorry for me, but to hopefully inspire some of you to embrace your “what is” and despite whatever it is you are faced with; illness, divorce, job loss, death of a loved one, whatever it is, to please never give up. Keep fighting the good fight, and following your dreams. We are capable of so very much, and If I can do it, so can you. We all have some “stuff” that we need to deal with. It’s part of being human. It is how we choose to deal with what we are faced with that counts. The choice is ours, so I encourage you; please choose wisely.

Thanks again for your support. It means the world to me. Wishing you all, much love and light, good health, and naturally, I would be remiss if I didn’t remind you: Choose to move. Stay in the truth, and remember, we were designed to shine!